


Take A Break

by InkAndFire



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alexander is a Mess, Eliza is a great friend, Fluff, George Washington is a Dad, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Mild Language, Past Jeffmads mentioned, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:14:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22872301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkAndFire/pseuds/InkAndFire
Summary: Alexander has overworked himself AGAIN, and gotten himself sick AGAIN. This time, though, Eliza isn't here to help him. So, now, his "friend" (or "enemy" if they're in public) Thomas Jefferson gets to take care of him. Not that Alex wants said help...Not that he can actually DO anything about the said help.AKA: Alex is stubborn as hell!
Relationships: Alexander Hamilton/Thomas Jefferson
Comments: 18
Kudos: 99





	1. Damn it, Alexander!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! A little warning here: This entire fic can't decide what time period it wants to be in. There are some very old-fashioned ideas, and there is certainly not modern medicine, but... then there are taxis. Just use your imaginations and combine them. Haha!  
> This is also my first Jamilton fic, so... I don't know how well I did with the dynamic, but I did my best. 
> 
> Anyway, as always, con-crit is welcome, and I hope you enjoy!

"Thomas?" Alex asked shyly, looking both directions down Thomas's dark street. The two men were standing just outside Jefferson's apartment. Alex tore his gaze away from the darkness, and settled his eyes on Thomas's. Violet blue eyes met light brown ones. "Can you keep a secret?" Thomas grinned.

"I suppose." Alexander took a step forward, his confidence growing. 

"When Eliza gets back, not a word about what's about to happen, okay?" Thomas grinned and leaned down closer to Hamilton's height. He overexaggerated the lean, teasing the other man's short stature.

"Don't worry. No matter what you think, I actually _can_ keep my mouth shut." 

"Pity," Alexander said, ignoring the jab at his height, and grinning slyly. He reached up and pulled Jefferson's head down the last few inches. "I was hoping you'd keep it open.

Their lips met. Jefferson expected this, but what he hadn't expected was for Alexander to grip him suddenly around the waist. Smiling to himself, he copied the action. The kiss was growing more passionate by the second. He moved one hand from Alex's waist to clench it in his hair, pulling the shorter man, if possible, closer. 

Eliza didn't need to know. Even if she already suspected. No-one really needed confirmation. As he moved his hand from Alex's hair to his neck, he suddenly grew concerned. Alex was warm. Too warm. He released his grip around Alexander's waist, but kept a hand on his neck. Gently, he tried to push Alex away.

"Alexander, love. Alex, please... Stop!" Hearing the concern, Alex finally backed away, stumbling slightly as he stood up straight.

"What happened?" he asked, pouting. "We were just getting intense!" Thomas swallowed the laugh that rose to his throat. Wordlessly, he moved the hand on Alex's neck to his forehead. He pulled away quickly upon feeling the heat practically pouring off Alexander.

"We're going inside." 

"What?!"

"We're going inside!" Thomas pulled his keys out of his pocket, and unlocked the door. He grabbed Alexander's hand and pulled him inside before re-locking the door.

"What was that all about?!" Thomas struggled to catch his breath for a moment. Fever could be _very_ dangerous in the winter. Suddenly, Alexander shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. "Did it just get colder in here?"

"Uh, might have been a draft," Thomas said quickly, still frantically trying to figure out what to do. "It's kinda late. Think you'd wanna stay here tonight?" Alex just looked at him. 

"Thomas, I'd wanna stay here even if it weren't late!" Thomas flashed him a quick smile then turned toward the hallway and made a 'follow me' motion. Good. This was good. At least he could keep an eye on Alex tonight. He had a feeling that this could turn out really, really bad. After the men had trekked a few doors down, Thomas turned to his companion.

"I'm assuming we don't need two different rooms?" Alexander grinned slyly.

"Why would we? It's not like we need two beds..." Thomas really did smile at this.

"Well then, welcome to my room."

* * *

After a few minutes of getting changed and such, Alex was cuddled up to Thomas, who was laying behind him, with an arm thrown over him. He leaned back into the warmth that the taller man provided. Thomas sure did keep it cold in here!

Thomas was also feeling the warmth of his companion, though much less happily. It was like sitting too close to a campfire! As he got lost in thought, he jumped when Alexander spoke sleepily.

"You never told me what happened earlier." Thomas swallowed nervously.

"I-I saw someone, coming," he lied quickly, unsure why he was lying at all. Alex rolled over to face Thomas. 

"Uh-huh, sure." He gently laid a hand on Thomas's cheek. "You know you only ever stutter when you lie, right?" Thomas felt his face flush, despite Alex being the fevered one.

"Okay, okay, maybe I was worried!"

"About what?!"

"You..." Thomas muttered. 

"..."

"Oh come on! You're _obviously_ ill!" Alex just kind of stared at him for a few moments. The color continued rising in Thomas's cheeks. He looked down. "Look. You've looked awful since the cabinet meeting earlier," He said it so quietly it was hard to hear him. As he realized it was true, he internally smacked himself for not noticing it. Alex practically falling over like 4 times on the walk home, (hopefully at least a _little_ for Thomas, and not just because of his condition...) how much he had leaned into Thomas for support earlier, how hard it had been to get him to stand up straight, how he had stumbled once he leaned away...

"Thanks for the concern, but I'm _fine_." Helpfully, Alex's body chose that precise moment to spit out a barking cough. He placed a hand on his chest, surprised. "That was not..." He didn't finish his sentence, most likely because he couldn't justify it. As he sighed in defeat, he coughed weakly a few more times. Thomas just grinned and hugged Alex into his chest.

"No cabinet meeting for you tomorrow!"

"What?!" Alex broke free of Thomas's arms and practically whirled into a standing position next to the bed. He opened his mouth to speak, but clamped it shut as he threw his arms out to steady himself. "Woah..." he muttered, swaying dangerously. Thomas jumped up and placed his hands on Alex's shoulders.

"Close your eyes. I'll catch you if you fall, don't worry. Trust me." Alexander closed his eyes and after a few moments, he slowly blinked them open. 

"Thanks," he mumbled, looking down quickly.

"Alexander?" Thomas lifted Alex's chin so the shorter man stared directly into his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well when this first started?" Alex muttered something that Thomas didn't quite catch. "What was that?"

"Last week was important. I didn't want to worry you..." Thomas stepped back incredulously. 

"You...."

"Yeah." Alex rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I've been sick since... sometime last week." 

"And you didn't tell me...why?!"

"I already told you why! You were writing your speech against me and I knew you'd need all the time you could get to work on _that_. I didn't want to distract you. Besides," he added, suddenly defensive, "It's not like you noticed anything! I figured that if it was bad enough, you'd say something..."

"I-I was focused, yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you!" Thomas shot back, suddenly furious that Alex hadn't spoken to him earlier.

"Well, it sure as hell looks that way!" Alex retorted. "I couldn't have been important enough for you to look up from your work, and if you did, I guess I didn't look that bad, so thank you, but I'm _fine!_ Alex yelled, shoving himself away from Thomas; his anger flared with his fever. 

"Okay, okay. Calm down." Thomas held out a hand to steady Alex, though he grew nervous himself. Suddenly Alex dropped his face in his hands for a few seconds, then ran into Thomas's arms. 

"Oh, God. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to yell at you! I don't know what happened..." Surprised, but content, Thomas hugged back. 

"It's okay. I understand. Let's just get you back into bed," he said, not liking how he could feel the increasing heat radiating from Alex's entire body. As if in tune with this thought, Alexander shivered and nodded. The pair climbed into bed. Alexander fell asleep rather quickly, but Thomas lay awake for a long time. He just lay there, thinking. Thinking and hoping everything would be alright...


	2. Cabinet Meeting?

Alexander slowly blinked his eyes open, wincing a little at the light in the room. Thomas needed to close the damn blinds! With a slight groan, he raised himself off Thomas's broad chest, which he had used as a pillow. Shoving all other thoughts aside, he had one goal in mind: Cabinet Meeting. He traipsed to the bathroom and splashed his face with warm water, which did nothing to ease the chill he felt. Remembering he was at Thomas's, and still wearing Thomas's pajamas, _(only_ slightly t _oo big..._ he thought, trying to convince himself he wasn't that short) he fetched his clothes from the previous day from the top of Thomas's dresser. Sighing, he looked at them and realized they'd have to do. Quietly, he walked back to the bathroom and changed. As he buttoned the top of his shirt, the world suddenly spun dangerously. He couldn't help but cry out as he slammed against the bathroom wall, stumbling over his own feet. He let out a hiss of pain as his head struck the plaster.

Thomas awoke with a start at the noise from the bathroom. Immediately realizing Alexander was not next to him, he put two and two together. Running into the bathroom, he saw Alexander collapsed on the floor, pinching the bridge of his nose. Without a word, he picked Alex up and laid him on the bed. Once Alex was clearly regaining himself, Thomas spoke.

"And what the hell do you think you're doing?" 

"Cabinet Meeting...?" Alex responded. It wasn't really a question, but he made it sound like one anyway.

"Not like this, you're not going!" Alexander just rolled his eyes and sat up. Thankfully, he was able to do that without another dizzy spell claiming him. 

"Look, you can't go without me, Thomas. I'm your opponent, aren't I?" 

"You have other people on your side! They can present your evidence for you." 

"You know you only like arguing against me! I'm the only one there who knows what they're saying!"

"That's true if you're excluding me from the people who don't know what they're saying." As Alex opened his mouth to retort, Thomas held up a hand. "Regardless, I kind of _have_ to go... You have an excuse not to be there...I don't." Alexander laid back down and nodded, a plan forming in his mind.

* * *

"I'm going! Don't you dare leave this house, Alexander!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Bye!"

"See you!"

The moment the front door shut, Alexander jumped up. After taking a moment to steady himself, he too ran outside and hailed a cab. Directing the driver through some shortcuts, he arrived at the hall a few minutes before Thomas. After paying the driver, (and tipping a bit extra for the shortcuts) he headed inside.

* * *

Thomas walked into the debate hall straightening his bright magenta coat. His friend James Madison approached him almost immediately. 

"Hey, Mads," he greeted his friend. James nodded in his direction.

"Thomas." His voice was quiet and meek as usual. The two shook hands and headed to take their places in the hall. While waiting for Washington, James glanced at the opposing stand, which Jefferson hadn't given a second glance. He was too busy worrying about Alexander. "Damn," James muttered, making Thomas jump. "He looks worse than I do half the time!" Thomas looked over and saw...

"Alex?!" James just looked at him.

"Uh, yeah...we usually debate him...What's your problem?" 

"N-Nothing... I'll be right back." Thomas strode back into the entrance hall. He didn't know where he meant to go, and he wasn't paying attention. Consequently, he nearly ran into George Washington.

"Woah! Watch where you walk, Mr. Jefferson!" The president said, grinning. 

"Y-Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," Thomas said quickly.

"Is something wrong?"

"Uh..." And after considering his options, he decided that this might be the best one. "Well, sir, I couldn't help but notice that Ale- uh, Hamilton looks...off, sir." Washington raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Thomas licked his lips uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure, sir. He seems disorganized and just generally unwell. Maybe we could postpone the meeting for a few days?" 

"Hmm." The president pondered this for a moment, an eyebrow raised."You don't typically care much for the health of your opponent." Thomas felt his fury at Alexander rise inside him. As much as this was the last person he wanted to lose his temper with, he couldn't help it.

"With all due respect, sir, he is _not_ just my opponent! I know him well and I respect him. And quite honestly, we cannot have a good debate if one candidate is ill!" He was yelling now. He was about to add something else when he heard coughing from the debate hall and a sudden clamoring. Without another word, he ran into the room and saw a small crowd of people huddled around a fallen Alex. He was trying to push them away, but to no avail. James stood off to the side as though wondering what to do. Washington, who had been calling Thomas back only moments before, came into the room right behind Thomas, and upon seeing Alexander on the floor, he quickly ordered everyone out. Thomas, now able to work his way through the mass of departing people, ran to Alex's side. Kneeling down next to him, Thomas gently helped Alex sit up as he started coughing violently. Up close, Thomas noticed the sweat beading on his forehead and running down his hairline. He cursed himself for not having made certain that Alexander wouldn't leave. Washington strode over to the two men quickly. Not mentioning Thomas's direct disobedience of his order to leave, he laid a hand on Alex's arm. 

"Are you alright, son?"

"Y-Yeah," Alex stammered out, completely ignoring the General having called him "son". If that wasn't a bad sign... He quickly covered another harsh cough with his hand, but when he drew it away, his eyes widened. Thomas grabbed his wrist and turned his hand. He gasped as he saw the small red flecks covering Alex's palm. Blood.

"Medic!" He called out, desperate to get someone in here who knew what they were doing. As someone ran in from another room and knelt down beside Alexander, Washington laid a hand on Thomas's shoulder and gently pulled him away.

"He'll be alright. Trust me." Thomas threw an anxious glance over his shoulder toward where Alex and the medic were talking. He gave a short nod, though unconvinced. After a few minutes, the man that had been talking to Alex, who Thomas assumed (and hoped) was a qualified medic, walked back up to them.

“Sir? May I speak with you alone?” he asked, turning toward the president. Washington nodded slowly and walked away. Thomas immediately ran over to Alexander and knelt down. 

“I’m alright.” Alex spoke before Thomas could say a word. 

“No. No, you aren’t, but you will be.” Alexander smiled. 

“I know.” Thomas felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at Washington, who motioned for him to step away. Once they were a few steps away, Thomas spoke quickly.

“Will he be alright, sir?” To Thomas’s absolute horror, the president hesitated. 

“I...I’m not sure,” he said after a moment. Thomas just stood there.

“S-Sir?” Thomas's voice was barely above a whisper. Washington sighed, looking gravely at the other Virginian.

“He’s fallen ill with pneumonia, and you know how dangerous that can be, Thomas. Especially in winter... As much as I'd like to say that this will all blow over...” Thomas stepped back in shock.

“Wh-what?!” Washington laid a calming hand on his shoulder.

"He should be perfectly fine if he rests." Both men knew this wasn't necessarily true, but it still brought a sense of knowing that he might have a chance. "He won’t want to rest of course, so I'll just send for his wife, an-"

"She's not here, sir. She's far out of town." Washington nodded.

"Very well, I'll take him then."

"No, sir. Please. I'll take him." At this, Washington raised an eyebrow. "With all due respect sir, you're still in the middle of a war. You have a tent with a mildly comfortable cot. I have a spare bedroom, I have medicine..." The president nodded.

"Very well." Thomas returned to Alex and carefully helped him to his feet. As soon as he stood, however, his eyes suddenly glazed over, and he swayed dangerously again. 

"Thomas... I-I..." And he collapsed again, into Thomas's arms. This time, however, he stopped moving.

Hastily, Washington pressed two fingers to his neck, checking for a pulse. 

"He's alright, just out cold." Thomas nodded, shaking slightly. "Let's get him in a cab and back to your place." Thomas picked Alexander up bridal style and carried him gently outside. After a few minutes, and with the help of Washington, the two men managed to get situated in the cab. Alex's head lying in Thomas's lap.

* * *

At the apartment, Thomas paid the cabbie and brought Alex inside. He was worried at how light the younger man was. Laying him down, Thomas covered him with the lightest blanket he could find, despite Alexander's violent shivering, then placed a hand on his forehead. He swore internally. 

_Oh, Alex..._ he thought, quickly removing his hand from the heat. _You're burning up, darlin'..._

As he turned to leave, to find some medicine, _something_ , Alex moved slightly. The smallest turn of the head. Thomas stopped immediately and knelt next to him. He placed a hand on top of Alex's, and the smaller man made a pained noise, almost a whimper. Thomas withdrew his hand, hating that he could feel the intense heat even there. That idiot! He had been told not to come, and what did he do?! Alexander turned his head in the other direction and whimpered again. The sound was pitiful, and not something Thomas ever expected to hear from anyone, much less Alexander. At that moment, Alex mumbled something and Thomas strained to hear.

"Ma...no...No, please. Please don't die... We'll be okay...right?" Each phrase had Alexander turning his head back and forth and wincing as though in intense pain. Thomas felt a twinge of worry and pity in his chest, and he hesitated, not knowing what to do. On one hand, he felt like he should leave. Alex was quite fever-ridden, and bound to say things that he would never say in his right mind. This was a perfect example. Thomas had no clue what Alex was talking about, but it was evidently something personal, and he had no wish to intrude on, or know about something that Alex hadn't voluntarily told him. On the other hand, He felt like he should stay. With a temperature as high as Alexander's, who knows what could happen if he didn't? Eventually, he decided to at least run into the kitchen for a bowl of cold water and a cloth to try and bring down the fever. As he came back inside, he noticed Alex's muttering growing louder and almost pleading.

"No! Not me! Help her... please. Ma...Ma! No!" This last word came as a yell, and Alexander sat bolt upright, suddenly wide awake. Thomas set his cargo down and was almost immediately next to Alex, hugging him tightly. Alex looked around for a moment, still slightly confused. "What...? Where...? Oh." And he was hugging Thomas back, tighter than ever before. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry!? For what, darlin'?!" It was the first time a nickname had actually been spoken by either of the men. They had been exchanged mentally, and through looks, but never spoken. Thomas hadn't meant to say it, it just kinda slipped out. He felt his shoulder grow wet. Alex was crying, practically sobbing. 

"I'm sorry!" He said again, his breathing slightly erratic. Thomas slowly rubbed circles on his back. 

"Don't apologize, Alex. It's okay...it's okay."

After a few minutes, Alex pulled himself together.

"You weren't supposed to hear any of that..." he said finally. He looked down, extremely embarrassed. Thomas took the smaller hand in his own.

"Don't worry. I don't know what you were talking about. Something about your mother..." Alex nodded. Not knowing how much he'd actually said, he decided he may as well tell the story.

"When I was ten, my father left me and my mother to fend for ourselves. Truth be told, I don't even know if he was my real father. My mother was accused of having affairs, but I don't _think_ I believe the rumors..." Already, Thomas was sad. Growing up without a father? He and his own father had been so close. What would that have been like? Alex continued "Then when I was twelve....." He hesitated. This was the part that always tore him up when he thought about it. "When I was twelve, my mother and I both fell ill with Yellow Fever and...she..." He looked down, tears forming in his eyes and dropping down. "She died," he finished, trying to keep his voice steady. Thomas gripped Alex's hand tighter. He'd grown up as an orphan?! That must have been absolutely awful! "Then, of course, that hurricane that struck..." 

Thomas actually gasped.

"Oh, God. I remember hearing about that when I was younger. That island was..."

"Where I lived at the time... yeah." Thomas pulled Alexander into his chest and held him there. Not only was Alexander crying now, but Thomas too felt the tears, hot and wet, slide down his face. In the last few minutes, he had learned more about Alexander's past than he had in the _years_ that had gone by since they had first met... Alex had grown up as an orphan, his mother had died right next to him, then that hurricane... Thomas shuddered. The destruction that it must have wreaked was absolutely unthinkable...

After a few minutes, Thomas pulled himself together and looked down, feeling the dead weight of Alexander leaning on him. Thomas grinned, realizing that Alex had fallen asleep. Leaning back against the headboard and stretching out his legs, he, too, drifted off to some much-needed sleep.


	3. I Love You

The next morning dawned bright and early. Thomas slowly blinked his eyes open, the light from outside filtering into the room. It took him a moment to realize that he felt something other than weight on his chest. He looked down to find his shirt practically drenched in sweat, courtesy of the man laying on top of him. _Really, Alexander?_ He rolled his eyes, but he wasn't about to disturb Alex's rest just to change his shirt. After laying there for a moment, slowly drifting back to sleep, he dimly realized that he didn't feel the heat radiating from Alex that he had the night before. Shaking himself awake again, he gingerly laid a hand on Alex's forehead, then neck. Thomas breathed a huge sigh of relief. He was _definitely_ getting at least a little better. As he removed his hand from Alex's neck, the smaller man stirred. Raising himself off of Thomas, he rolled into the space next to him, resulting in a faceplant into the nearby pillow. Thomas snorted and turned onto his side to face him.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Thomas said. Alex looked at him and stuck out his tongue. Thomas copied the action, making Alex grin. As he did so, he noticed a glimmer in Alex's eyes that hadn't been there recently. Until now, he hadn't noticed, but Alex's eyes had been simply dull this last week. More muted, and without the shine of excitement and liveliness. If the return of it wasn't a good sign, he didn't know what would be.

"Morning." Alex sat up as he spoke, his hair sticking up in all different directions. Thomas sat up too and dragged a hand through Alexander's hair, neatening it as best he could. "Hey!" Alexander protested, batting Thomas's hands away. Thomas grinned, but the happiness dropped quickly into a look of earnest. One he didn't sport often.

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

"Not bad, actually!" Alex replied eagerly, his eyes sparkling again. "Think I could go back to work today?" Thomas shook his head. 

"Nope. You're staying home this week." 

"What?!" 

"Just rest this week, okay? I think your fever finally broke," he said, with a cursory glance at his shirt. "Now it's just a matter of resting up."

"But I feel fine now!" Alex whined. Thomas had to stifle a giggle. The earnest look on his face was threatening to drop off and give way to laughter. Alex seemed to see this, and smiled a bit. That was all it took. One little smile and Thomas was grinning broadly. 

"Oh, stop being so cute!" There was a pause and Thomas looked away, a blush rising to his cheeks. Alex moved to the side and caught Thomas in a kiss. After a few moments, they broke apart. "Probably shouldn't do that," Thomas muttered, still a bit embarrassed. "I really don't want to get sick." Alex laughed loudly. 

"Oh, please!" he said, shaking his head. "By this time, if you're gonna get sick, it's happening. I may as well kiss you." Thomas considered this for a moment, then shrugged.

"Fair point." 

The room lapsed into a gentle silence, but Thomas's thoughts kept turning over in his mind. He kept asking himself, _what would have happened if Alex hadn't been just "out cold"...?_ Would he have been able to live without him?

"Hey?" Thomas jumped. "You okay?" Alex asked. 

"Yeah, yeah... Just thinking." Silence overtook them again. 

"Hey, Thomas?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." Thomas turned to look at Alex. It had never been said so bluntly. It didn't need to be. There was, however, a certain magic to hearing it verbalized. As though it was a thread that would be tied forever if you spoke the words. Though, he now realized, a permanently tied thread may not be so bad. As Thomas stared at Alex, there was the utmost sincerity on the smaller man's face, accented with a hint of the smile that Thomas had grown to know and certainly to love. 

"I love you too, darlin'," he said, a soft smile spreading over his features. Alex moved a few inches closer and Thomas put an arm around him. They sat there for a while. Suddenly, Thomas spoke. "So...does Eliza know...?"

"Oh believe me. Eliza knows." Thomas grinned, while Alex chuckled. "She's okay with, you know, us. She said she'd be honored to provide a cover for our reputations though, on the one condition that we remain friends. How could I say no to that? But still..."

"What?"

"I think somebody else knows, and I think they're jealous!" Thomas just looked at his boyfriend, the utmost confusion etched upon his face.

"Uh...who?"

"Just a little someone by the last name of... Madison?" Alex teased, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh, shut up!" Thomas yelled, punching Alex in the shoulder "We dated _literally_ years ago! We're just friends now!" Alex's laughter filled the room, making it impossible for Thomas to stay upset. Soon, they were both laughing, until Thomas pulled Alex into a deep kiss, which promptly shut him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you all enjoyed this little three-part story. It was really fun to write. Comments are always greatly appreciated. I love to hear what everyone is thinking! If you read this far, then thank you. I really appreciate it. Have a wonderful day/evening/night! Thank you so much!


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